PS4: will the next-gen start when Microsoft says it does?

Xbox’s next-gen aspirations were dealt a bloody nose by Sony in New York last week: everyone’s talking about PlayStation 4. Going first works, says Patrick Garratt, and Microsoft has missed a great opportunity.

PS4 is real. Microsoft can claim irrelevance, but the next generation has started. Sony said so. And Microsoft did not.

“We’ve got a year to sell as many of these things as possible.”

Two Xbox bosses bellowed at each other in the aftermath of 360′s Games Convention press conference in 2005. The atmosphere crackled with “go”. Xbox 360 was to beat PlayStation 3 to market and Microsoft knew it had sledgehammered its way into the console industry’s executive bathroom. Chests were puffed. Sony was stuffed. Microsoft benefited greatly from an early Xbox 360 release, especially in America. You have no competition if you’re the only option available.

The same can be applied to mind-share. Going first works.

Commentators call it “first-mover advantage” for a reason. Microsoft’s strategy left Sony in front of a wincing crowd the following year, where it was forced to claim that “the next-generation doesn’t start until we say it does.” It was one of the most ridiculous statements in gaming’s last decade. Microsoft said nothing. It just started.

What a difference a generation makes.

Microsoft exec John Grimes belittled the Sony reveal the week before it happened, saying the “majority of UK consumers won’t know” about PlayStation 4 as a result. This was as puerile as Hirai’s damage control in 2006. PlayStation 4 was front-featured by every news organisation in the world. Everyone knows. Sony grasped the opportunity to own the first real news of next-gen games hardware in six years and the world dropped its pants. We didn’t even see the box.

PS4 is real. Microsoft can claim irrelevance, but the next generation has started. Sony said so. And Microsoft did not.

Broken nose

While PlayStation 4′s reveal in New York last week has been just as often criticised for its lack of creativity as it has been praised for its solidity, there’s an inescapable fact related to the entire shebang: we’re all talking about PlayStation 4. Microsoft is now left with everything to prove at its reveal event – supposedly being planned for April – and right now the concept of the next-generation in 2013 belongs to Sony. If this is round one, Microsoft just got its nose spread all over its cheek.

To add insult to Microsoft’s injuries, fresh rumours are circulating regarding Durango’s spec. Apparently the machine is woefully underpowered compared to PS4, with some now saying they don’t expect Microsoft to even talk raw tech when it announces the machine. Conversely, Sony’s finding it easy to shrug off its reputation for creating expensive, obtuse hardware, with PlayStation 4 being a powerful, cheap console that’s easy to work with; exactly the strategy Microsoft used to launch Xbox 360.

Also consider that Sony held its reveal event in New York, not Japan. Guerrilla boss Herman Hulst turned up on Fallon immediately after the show, playing one of the best-looking console games ever created and talking about track-pads and Share buttons. Talking about PlayStation 4. In front of millions of Americans. The next-gen Xbox will be invisible to the US for months.

If the Xbox execs aren’t cringing then they’re foolish indeed. While Nelson’s been forced to resort to slagging Sony off on Twitter, we’re finally starting to see publishers make next-generationannouncements, announcements of which Nextbox (we don’t even know its name) currently plays no public role. There was a boat. There was only one boat. And Microsoft missed it.

The Xbox team, no doubt, will have much to say in April. We will see Phil Harrison on stage for the first time extolling the virtues of a Microsoft platform, and we’re sure to see some attractive software. But right now the only future platform is PS4. At this moment, Sony owns the next round.

Will the next-gen start when Microsoft says it does? That we can even ask the question represents one hell of a risk on Microsoft’s part.

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I think most Uk and EU core gamers question will be if MS focuses on the services that we will not get, why would you get a new xbox if you live in Europe?
If its about the games and they are good enough I’ll consider buying an nextbox.

Amazing, MS in a stupid move, started a timer for E3 (by nelson). Hirai bluffed that they they would allow MS to go first by giving the silliest of reasons. Looks like MS took that bluff at face value.
Moreover, Sony seems to put Gamers at the forefront for PS4, not the multimedia crowd. If MS shows Kinect 2 and Just Dance 5 at the ceremony for more than 5 minutes, they have lost me there and then.
Sony should be applauded for keeping multimedia and move things to a minimum.
We should also not forget that MS can spend much more in marketing than Sony, so this added time helps Sony immensely to let PS4 get more exposure than 720.
Very Well played Sony indeed.

For me its all about the exclusives, and Sony have always had the exclusives that I’m interested in. As an old Playstation fanboy, it doesn’t matter one bit to me what microsoft bring to the table, the only next gen console I’ve ever been interested in is the PS4.
I’m sure there are many Xbox owners who feel exactly the same way, but the other way round obviously

Whilst I do think there’s a fair chunk of dramatisation in the article, the sentiment concerning mindshare is one I agree with.

Announcing second can be percieved as ‘responding’ to whatever the competition announced first. Following rather than leading.

I don’t think it’s the be all and end all. Even releasing first, whilst giving an advantage early on, doesn’t guarantee meaningful numbers.

Personally I’m more interested in the partnerships and services than the silicon. Great developers will always do great things regardless of hardware. I say this as someone who still admires how some C64 games push their host to extremes.

If the gaming experienced is enhanced by good partnerships and meaningful services (and hopefully not stifled by them) then that could be what tips the scales.

I am very interested to see how Gaikai develops. Whilst there are many unknowns it is a strong card to have in your deck, versatile and likely to become stronger as digital becomes increasingly common. I am keen to see what alternatives to the promise of Gaikai may appear.

The next generation starts when the next-generation products hit the market in mass quantities, not one day before. The advance press looks better for Sony at this point, to be sure. They’d best keep up that momentum, because the tide can turn in a hurry between now and actual release.

@16 – Yeah the way I’m thinking right now is that Sony’s exclusives are gonna win me over next gen. The only franchises I’ll miss will be Forza and PGR (both of which I prefer to GT), though Fable, Gears and Halo I’m not bothered about.

Fact is. I disliked Sony’s conference, but they did it. Everyone right now talks about PS4 and Major Nelson and Microsoft is in damage control right now.
In my opinion sony’s conference lacked a lot of details and reveals but their hands feel free right now and they can give dev kits and other stuff to devs and start developing stuff for the next gen consoles without any issue that “something” “somewhere” is going to be leaked.

But Shmony COULD SHOW THE BOX, YA’ KNOW?

and decent demo, not some PS4 games that will be on PS3. Or killzone:SF that looks a bit better then PS3 games.

@Gadzooks, your ass hurts whenever Sony does something and MS doesn’t. Chill out bro. Go to forums and talk about how Sony copied kinect and that sony games sucks and so on. Xbox fanboy favourite thing these days. Chill out.

I just want a Box to play games – no social-apps, no tv, no merchandising! Just enough power to play the most beautiful games. I like my 360 but MS will have to do a lot… If it is not enough I will buy a PS4.

@Pat: Nice post – people talk about it and that’s the way it should be

I like the Ps3 specs and ideals of gamer first but I hate that controller please I hope a cascaded thumb stick 3rd party controller becomes available. Right now as long as NextBox has comparable specs I’m all over Xbox maybe a year or two down the road I’ll get a ps4

The Sony presser was hot air and loose future target projections. Remember how PS3 would run two games on two different screens? Remember all the USB hubs? Remember the power of Cell tech? Remember SIXAXIS and how no-one needed Rumble any more?

Now re-watch the PS4 presser and see about “playing demos on the fly”, “insta-Share”, “social media integration” and the “hopes” and “visions” of developers for the “possible future” and “direction” that they “believe they can” take PS4 in.

Now ask yourself how many, if any, of those “features” will actually make it. Ask yourself why Killzone 4 was a scripted sequence with no freedom whatsoever. Ask yourself why developers weren’t more concrete. ASk yourself why you only saw target renders when the console is apparently due out this year.

ah, so Sony bloodied MS’ nose huh? Pretty sure MS has mounted and grounded and pounded Sony for the last 8 yrs. Remember Sony had a monster lead w the PS2? The 360 ate their breakfast, lunch and went back for dinner. So they had to do something, but it was a rather lackluster reveal. Sharing? haha come on.

I bought both the 360 and the PS3. PS3 hasnt been touched since 2008.

And the guy that wrote this #9? Total fanboy, prob wrote this wearing his PS4 Tshirt.

The thing is, if Microsoft do show us the games it will consist of Driving, shooting and Dancing. Possibly all in the same game!
I fucked M$ off this gen, they released noth of worth as far as Exclusives go and their online service is so outdated regarding pay to play I do wonder why people still fork out for it.
I am a SONY fanboy, I’ll admit it, but only cus SONY fucking earned it!

For what it’s worth, I always regard ‘announce’ presentations to be aspirational and vacuous for the most part. This is true of so many tech announcements – whether it’s a console, a phone or some other gadget.

Expecting a box, date, price, range of colours and every other bit of minute detail isn’t what an announce is about at all. All those details come later. Usually those reality bites eat into the aspirational stuff and chip away at the initial enthusiasm. But reality has a habit of doing that to most things.

I suspect, however, that if what is presented at an announce conference doesn’t float your boat, the details that come in the weeks and months that follow won’t do much for you either.

In that regard, these companies have to get you on board as soon as possible. To present their most pie-in-the-sky aspirations and sell you the dream over the product (I felt Nintendo did this extremely well with the Wii). That mindshare really is important.

One shouldn’t underestimate the power of the “multimedia features” part of a console. There is no contradiction between a gaming console and a multimedia console. To satisfy the game crowd is fairly easy and straightforward in terms of hardware features.

One can have the additional features without it canabalizing the games aspect of a console. Sony saying that it will be games focused really doesn’t mean that the “nextbox” will fail in that aspect even though it probably focus on other things aswell.

Having an open app store with apps that works seamlessly with Windows 8 (write once, deploy everywhere) then they could have quite a strong contender in the race. Without sacrificing the games aspect. If they don’t do that then they are stupid and apple will come out with something for the appletv that will eat that part of the market.

Also, price pays a huge role. The cheapest console of the two will probably “win” considering they will probably be quite similiary speced, with an edge to the PS4. Also, release date matters. Wouldn’t be surprised if the Xbox launches before the PS4 in europe.

Me, I’ve prebooked both until i know more. It’s a hard choice…David Cage or Alan Wake? Nathan Drake or Master Chief? We’ll see how it looks in the coming months.

When Apple reveal their new phone/iPad – they show you what it can do, when it will be released, what it looks like and how much it will cost. They also spout an amazing amount of other bullshit but you know what you’re getting Day One.

That was played on US TV by other people doing what they wanted? I think Killzone 4 whilst not offering up much in the way of gameplay additions was a great example of how Sony have changed. Killzone 2 was pre-rendered video when first shown, and then took 2 years+ to try and live up to that target render. Killzone 4 was realtime, played out in front of you and looked very nice too.

If you look at the press stuff Sony is being pretty clear and realistic about the features they expect to have ready and what is part of the vision too.

If the rumors about the next xbox are at least half right (and they were pretty right about PS4), Microsoft will launch an x86 console as well.
Most likely the same CPU inside PS4 minus/plus some optimizations.

If this is true, Microsoft can squeeze an extra MHz to match or top PS4 raw power. The same goes for the GPU. And they now have 2 months to do it.

I would agree with you if we were talking about last generation.

Last time around things were a bit different, the consoles architecture were very different and somehow new (for Sony at least). Doing big improvements in short notice was much more complicated.

But then again, in the end it didn’t matter. PS3 has more raw power yet it didn’t sold more than xbox 360, and games weren’t/aren’t much more beautiful. That raw power was hard to tap because the development tools for Cell are a nightmare.

There were some issues with PS4 announcement.
No launch date. This holidays? Early 2014?
Why weren’t any demo units on stage? Is the development still ongoing and they don’t have anything to show? I don’t know much about product development but can this be a sign that if the launch date is this holidays availability will be an issue?
What about price?

So, yeah. Sony has everyone talking about PS4 but at this point no one other than some extreme fanboys will make a decision now to buy PS4 in a untold date at a unknown price.

If Microsoft wants to match PS4, specs aren’t the real issue.
x86 + DX11 is Microsoft comfort zone. They’ve been doing this for decades. And, again if word on the street is right, their next console will be an highly optimized PC. x86 CPU, DX11 GPU, DDR3, most likely running a shaved version of Windows 8.
If a game developer knows how to code a Windows PC game they will be at home with nextgen Xbox.

So, more than hardware specs what I want to hear from Microsoft is that they will start to treat Europe’s gamers the same way they treat North American’s gamers. It’s only fair since we pay the same for a live Gold account and receive far less.

@50
“If this is true, Microsoft can squeeze an extra MHz to match or top PS4 raw power. The same goes for the GPU. And they now have 2 months to do it.”

Squeeze an extra MHz? It’s really not that simple.

MS would have been well aware of the PS4 specs (bar maybe the upping of the memory to 8Gb) – same as Sony would have been well aware of the NextBox specs. They will set their machines based on cost and target price they want to sell at. They can’t react quickly to much at this late stage. Upping memory is one of the few changes which would be possible.

@17 You are right it will be very interesting to see how Gaikai develops if they blow it out of the water Microsoft could be left trying to pick up the pieces for years to come just to get on equal footing.

@52 Microsoft is backed into a corner if there specs are what the dev kits say they are. They could potentially have another red ring of death on there hands if they have to push the specs up to much on there dev kits.

@54
They may just be perfectly happy with what they’ve produced too though. They may have something up their sleeve which will give them a different edge, we’ll have to wait and see. Going to be interesting anyway.

@55 It will be interesting I have always been a Sony guy first and then adopted other consoles later. Unless Microsoft truly blows me out of the water it will probably stay that way. Microsoft can only really screw up if specs are really underwhelming and they focus too much on Kinect. The developers will come and with there massive cash pile they will still get the timed exclusive DLC.

@57 Are you telling me that if they are using the same chip they can’t match the clock speed?

Direct X11 is an advantage since it’s common between PC development and console development. This should drive development costs down and could further enable a developer to spend more time optimizing code.

“Direct X11 is an advantage since it’s common between PC development and console development. ”

LOL. Are you seriously a moron? Direct X 11 is just an API. For your info, PS3 does not had direct X9 at all compared to Xbox 360, in fact exclusives and even some multiplatform titles looked better on the PS3 when development was on par.

Direct X11 is just a tool and nothing more. It does not give any advantage to a console at all because development goes through a dev kit that has certain requirements.

Nothing new. This was done in the past.

“Are you telling me that if they are using the same chip they can’t match the clock speed?”

So you already know what Microsoft or Sony is using as their main CPU? LOL?

Btw, according to leaks, Xbox 720 CPU is weaker then on the PS4. Go figure.

@49 Pretty much everyone got that wrong, not just VG247′s source.
If reports are to be believed, this was a change that Sony adopted not too long before the full reveal. Or maybe they purposely leaked lower specs to catch MS on the hop?

@60 Multiplat titles have been known to look better on PS3, but they have tended to suffer more with frame rate drops and screen tearing, not to mention some AA problems.
Sony had to send people round to some devs to help them get the most out of the system architecture as it was too complicated to get decent performance out of it, pretty much why First party games looked so much better than 3rd party developed titles.

@58
Sure there are technical issues with memory if it’s not been a consideration already – you’d think with these things they’d look at a number of options and considerations to allow for this sort of change. For memory the more serious issues are cost and availability I’d think.

Upping clock speeds is something done a lot in the PC community, the act of upping is nice and simple, the consequences (especially for a mass market device) too unknown. I can’t see MS risking another RROD situation.

I think that either the MS specs are higher than we have been led to believe or that they are happy they have something else which brings things back to parity.

Regarding the APIs Direct X is an advantage in that there is nothing new to learn. Whatever APIs Sony comes out with will be brand new. Not saying it makes a huge difference but it is certainly not a disadvantage.

@60
You are right about one thing, DX11 is a tool. But guess what, tools do matter. Good tools help you to make good products faster. Is DX11 the best thing ever? I suppose it isn’t. Are developers comfortable with DX11, have good knowledge of how it works to launch great looking games? I guess they do.
More often than xbox owners would like to admit first party game for PS3 look better than the few first party for x360. That’s true.
But do a quick search and you’ll find developers complaining about the pain it was to develop in PS3.
Why? Because the tools weren’t that good.

@62 and @64
Of course consoles and PC’s are different. Although right now they start to look very similar.
The reason I said, and still stand by, Microsoft could squeeze and extra MHz is simple.
Look at AMD current CPU lineup. For the same TDP, say 65W, and number of cores they have the A4-3300 at 2,5 GHz up to the A10-5700 at 3,4 GHz.
Its a huge leap.
Sure the PS4/next Xbox aren’t off the shelf CPU’s and things could be more complicated than this.
But unless Microsoft is already pushing the limits of what it can get with the TDP it needs to avoid RROD, they could still have room for better performance.

That’s the thing with this generation of consoles. They are quite like PC’s, some rules may apply.

UPDATE : Just to clarify, I’m assuming MS and Sony are using the same CPU. If not, the music plays a different tune.

The A4 you mention has 2 cores and the A10 4 cores. This Jaguar based chip in the PS4 has 8 cores. The power needed for the 4 core Jaguar chips are meant to be about 15W too. Am I missing something? Entirely possible

To the first part: Yes, the 360 came out a whole year before the PS3 but if it were the other way around and PS3 came out first… Microsoft would have had a full extra year to beef up the 360 and trump the PS3 as far as hardware goes.

To the second part, M$ still has time to change its architecture in the 720. They could have made the Durango to have specs that were good enough to develop games for the 720 and continue to buff the 720 hardware. Then after the 720′s release send out new Durango dev kits with the upgraded hardware. Just remember M$ still has not announced the final spec for the system.

In the end though I bet both Sony and M$ will start off on equal footing with an identical release date and almost exact same architecture for their systems. I think the only difference between the two consoles will be peripherals, first party games and services.

As of right now, I’m leaning towards the PS4 at launch but I will eventually have both.

Hm, this article doesn’t quite fit with my happy fantasy view of the world where my favourite console manufacturer can do no wrong whereas their competitors do everything wrong, so I am a bit annoyed frankly. I think it’s biased.

Is there any other Xbox owner besides myself, that is happy that MS might be squirming a little?

MS has focused on three main IP, Halo, Gears of War, and Fable, and let third party publishers be the reason to own an xbox, rather than first party titles or exclusives. If Sony makes the more powerful box, the next xbox might not be the main box of choice to develop on. This would place MS in an interesting and not so wonderful position, as third party would more likely be porting down to their console.

Ms has focused so much on gadgets and services, and I wonder if they honestly think that releasing a moderately more powerful box with Kinect2 in every game will keep people to their consoles. I hope Superdae is right when he said that the spec for the durango was old and that MS has a more powerful box, because if they dont, then MS must be sweating a bit. As it is im not sure how much difference if any 8gb DDR3 vs 8gb GDDR5 will have when it comes to games. Higher latency vs higher bandwith.

Sony placed MS on the defensive, and MS will need to show why they are better when its announced. Sony held back enough that if MS has any surprises, Sony could possibly still counter. Sony pulled some good moves here.

I think Pat’s article wasn’t biased, he is right. Everyone is talking about PS4, and now MS will have to do something to really impress us. I MS came out today with the matching features of the PS4, we would all be disappointed. We now expect more from MS and they have to deliver, and I honestly dont know if they really will be able to.

It’s interesting to think of Phil Harrison launching the PS3 and now launching the next xbox, maybe thats not a good omen lol.

I just hope that MS pulled a Sega and had multiple variants of spec like they did with the Dreamcast. Unfortunately, sega went with the lower performing spec (PowerVR vs 3DFX), lets hope MS has a rabbit in one of their hats to surprise us all.

C’mon guys, are we REALLY talkin’ bout RAW power ? Haven’t we learned NOTHING from the previous generations ? SNES over Genesis. Saturn over PS1. Xbox over PS2. PS3 over 360. And so what ? The “less” powerful platforms always “won”. Games is truly what matters. I’m an Xbox owner (and recently a Vita, too), and of course I’m intrigued, and excited, about PS4. But anyone here really think that one platform will have such a leap from the another one ? I really don’t think so… The math here is simple: Do you want some new and interesting IPs (doesn’t matter it takes 4, 5 years to be completed)? Cannot be w/o God of War, LBP ? Go PS4. Wanna play Halo, GoW, and a decent online multiplayer ? Go Xbox. I think is simple as it sounds. Besides that, of course we’ll have some DLCs exclusives here or there, but the games will looks like pretty much the same thing. Now what I think MSoft will HAVE to show is some new IPs for this generation… and I’m pretty sure they’ll. And, I don’t know, but MS is too quiet for a long time now… something big is coming. C’mon, April 26…

Firstly “majority of UK consumers won’t know” is maybe as puerile as “the next-generation doesn’t start until we say it does” but it’s nowhere near as arrogant, secondly the next-generation starts when the first next-gen console launches (which is the wiiu depending on who you ask, unless you’re asking a ps fanboy) not when Sony says it starts, seems you still haven’t learnt from Sony’s mistakes, I mean you even quoted them in your article as I just did for posterity…

This is all for naught if they release at the same time…just because Microsoft didn’t announce it first doesn’t mean anything since they can both hit the market Holiday 2013…plus we’ve all known they were coming for years now, so it’s not like Sony’s announcement surprised the market, it was a matter of when not if they would reveal it in the first half of 2013…

Plus Sony wasn’t even ready to show the actual console…just shows you how much of a rush job they had to put together in order to basically just say “FIRST!” in terms of announcing their hardware…

PlayStation Now will expand to the tune of five new games this month. The March PS Now additions are Infamous 2, Twisted Metal, R-Type Dimensions, Alone in the Dark: Inferno and Operation Flashpoint: Red River. PS Now will set you back $20 per month or $45 for a three month subscription. It offers all you […]

Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster hits PS4 in May. The PS4 release date for Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster is May 12 in North America and May 15 in Europe. Gematsu reports a special pre-order bonus calendar with art by Yoshitaka Amano is available through the Square Enix Store and participating retailers. In Europe, pre-ordering […]

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare players can now aspire to the ranks of Grand Master Prestige. Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games will add 15 more Prestige levels to the latest Call of Duty, giving players at max XP a chance to grow even further. According to the Sledgehammer Games blog, when you enter Master level […]

Destiny’s toughest challenge gets even nastier if you throw Creepers into the mix. The ultimate Destiny challenge – for now – is the Crota’s End raid. Taking place in an alternate dimension accessed through the Hellmouth on the Moon, the Raid takes Guardians through a pit of darkness to the resting place of Crota himself. […]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D protagonist Shulk is the Heir to the Monado, his distinctive red sword. Let this trailer fill you in on what that means. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D releases for New 3DS on April 2 in Europe and April 10 in North America. As well as all the content of the Wii original, it has […]

The Elder Scrolls: Total War is a terrific mod allowing you get get intimately involved with the history of Bethesda’s detailed fantasy universe. The first release of The Elder Scrolls: Total War dropped on the weekend, giving players their first chance to try out LoRdNazgu1‘s creation. This version runs from 3E 427 to 4E 45, […]

Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 is out now. Yes, we’re surprised too. You can grab Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 on Steam for $8. Developer Scott Cawthon really doesn’t mess about; the game was only announced in early January. Here’s the blurb: Thirty years after Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza closed it’s doors, the events that took […]

EVE Online is a hotbed of villainy, espionage and backstabbing, but one intrepid corporate thief has made waves even in this setting. The thing about EVE Online is that it’s a true sandbox: the game’s rules are very loose, and allow players to make careers out of theft, piracy, assassination and espionage in addition to […]

Nintendo of America has announced a fresh supply of the difficult to find Marth Amiibo. The Marth Amiibo will be back in stock in the US in late April, the platform holder said on Twitter today. Planning to pick up Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. and don’t have a Marth amiibo? More are headed to stores in […]

Skyrim has been granted a new beta update – more than three years after launch! – to improve the experience for modders and those who use them. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim released in November 2011. I think that’s worth noting before we discuss the beta update that dropped today, even as Bethesda is working […]

Knights of Pen & Paper 2 is very serious business so please enjoy this very serious trailer. “Return to the dicey world of Knights of Pen & Paper for a new turn-based adventure, where players get to take on the role of players, and also of the game’s encounter-designing, rules-laywering GM in a fully customizable […]

Amplitude may have been delayed but we still get something this March: a fine new gameplay trailer. Amplitude is coming to PlayStation 3 and PS4 sometime in northern summer. It’s a reprisal of Harmonix’s classic rhythm action game, a forerunner to its later efforts with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and was crowdfunded. Update: Turns […]

DayZ creator Dean “Rocket” Hall has dropped the first vague details of his new game project. “I do not want to make safe games. I do not want to make games the way we have been making them. What if the most experienced video game staff in the world collaborated on the most esoteric and […]

AMD has confirmed what most Battlefield fans thought. Battlefield Hardline will indeed support Mantle. Battlefield Hardline will support Mantle, AMD has confirmed. Some players weren’t sure whether the retail version of the game will support AMD’s API, due to its absence from the recent PC beta. AMD did not say whether the feature will be […]

Unreal Engine 4 is a pretty versatile bit of tech, as this new sizzle reel shows. As one of the more ubiquitous engines, Unreal will be on show at GDC this week. Developer Epic produced the following sizzle reel to quickly demonstrate what it can do – cutting edge graphics (there are very few games […]

The latest Survarium patch has readjusted the value of experience and reputation points gained and removed the limit to the maximum amount of ammo you can use in combat. Survarium developer Vostok Games has released patch 0.27a to the public, having recently finished testing it. The patch is a major one and covers changes to […]

Bloodborne is so close you can almost smell its coppery tang on the wind – and also you can watch commercials for it. Bloodborne arrives on PS4 at the end of this month (March 24 North America, March 25 Europe, March 27 UK) so excitement is starting to build. Sony isn’t helping keep us calm […]

Blizzard will soon allow World of Warcraft players to exchange in-game gold for game time and vice versa. Blizzard has announced a new system that will launch soon for World of Warcraft. The system is called WoW Token. Using this system, players will be able to buy game time using in-game gold. Here’s how it […]

Remember 3D Realms’ Bombshell? The isometric ARPG that was announced last year? Well, it’s back, and we get to see gameplay footage. The game stars Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison, a bomb technician turned mercenary with a mechanical arm. She will embark on a quest to rescue the president and save Earth, all while shooting aliens. The […]

Epic Games has made Unreal Engine 4 available for anyone to download and use, for free. Unreal Engine 4 is now free. Anyone can download it and start using it, the developer announced today in a blog post. The download features the the full set of tools used by Epic, and includes 100% of the […]

The winner of the European round of the Call of Duty Championship has been announced. This past weekend, 28 teams representing UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, the rest of Europe and Middle East attended the final of the European round of the Call of Duty Championship. UK team Epsilon eSports was crowned […]

GOG.com is bringing back its Insomnia sale event with even more games. GOG’s Insomnia sale is back with double the amount of games. This year, there will be two sets of games available at once. The sets are seasoned classics and fresh new titles. Each set will feature games with discounts up to 90% off, […]

2K will be shutting down the servers for NBA 2K14 this month. The publisher revealed yesterday that online servers for NBA 2K14 will be turned offline on March 31. “You will no longer be able to play ranked games/online association,” reads the announcement. NBA 2K14 relied on online servers to store save files for MyCareer […]

A Dead or Alive tournament organiser has suggested a soft ban on some of the game’s “over-sexualised” costumes, and not everyone is happy. Tournament organiser “The HuBBs” took to the FreeStepDodge forums to suggest a list of rules that other offline tournaments can follow. The list goes over stages, characters, moves, which is certainly in […]

Bungie hosted an open house Q&A session with the community last week and lots of exciting news have come out of it. Arekkz Gaming has gathered all the information that came out of Bungie’s open house Q&A in one handy video. The list is massive, going over Exotic weapon balance, upcoming events, PVE, Crucible rewards, […]

Developers behind space exploration games Elite: Dangerous and Star Citizen will honour the memory of Leonard Nimoy through in-game memorials. The develops of both games have confirmed separately that in-game memorials will be established to honour the memory of the late Star Trek actor, Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing Spock. Elite: Dangerous executive producer Michael […]

Amazon’s latest PlayStation 4 deal is not one to miss. With purchase of a PlayStation 4 console from Amazon in the US, the online retailer will throw in digital codes for Infamous Second Son, Killzone Shadow Fall and The Last of Us: Remastered, all for the same MSRP of $399. The Last of Us Remastered […]

The method one Redditor possibly used to leak some details from Destiny’s House of Wolves was the same one he used to predict the inventory of Xur: Agent of the Nine. Last week, Reddit user Megamanexe4 leaked a few pieces of House of Wolves expansion content. The leaks included strikes, new Crucible mode, and a […]

Mortal Kombat X will be releasing on mobile devices in some form, just not the one you except. Mortal Kombat X is coming to Android and iOS devices as an extension of the main game. It will launch in April alongside the console versions. The mobile game will be part card collecting and part fighting […]

Kojima Productions will unveil something about Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain this Wednesday. Metal Gear Solid fans should standby for a Phantom Pain-related announcement on Wednesday, March 4. According to developer Kojima Productions’ Twitter, there’s going to be an announcement at 2pm GMT on Wednesday. The developer posted the following image. The image […]

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Battlefield Hardline’s Premium membership will give players access to 4 new features, early access to expansion packs and more. EA detailed the offer today – it costs $50 in total (£40 in the UK) and gives players a whole bundle of new gear and content. Check it all out in handy list form below: Masks […]

Voice actor and Hollywood writer David Hayter discusses the differences between movies and games. And politely declines my leading question. “It might be fun to do a crazy, over-the-top film version of Saint’s Row.” Yeah, that headline is a bit cheap but you’re reading the work of a man who once asked the maker of […]

Microsoft has knocked up to £100 off Xbox One bundles in the UK. The Xbox One with Kinect Assassin’s Creed bundle is now £100 cheaper and comes with a free £20 voucher to be spent on the official Microsoft online store. Over on the Xbox online store there’s a £70 price cut on the white […]

Free-to-play 3DS title Pokemon Shuffle has been downloaded over 1 million times. As a reward for playing the match-3 puzzle game Nintendo has gifted players a Complexity -1 item for free. The item reduces the difficulty of a level, according to Eurogamer. By all accounts Pokemon Shuffle is a cynical game with poorly implemented microtransactions. […]

FrozenByte Games has revealed Trine 3, due for release in 2015 And what better way to reveal a new side-scrolling adventure than with a very pretty trailer full of gameplay? The latest in a series that has already sold 7 million copies is earmarked for PC and “other” formats. Trine 2 released on PS3, PS3, […]

A month since it was released on digital platforms, Dying Light’s physical release has topped the UK charts. Techland and Warner’s zombie survival game has proven to be one of the big hits of the year so far. It was released on digital formats a month ago but has only just been released on good-old […]

Think you can take down a jet plane with a grenade throw? This guy can. In fact, he can do it twice. This is in a variation on the player-created deathmatch “Stunters Versus Snipers” which seem to be all the rage in GTA Online at the moment. One team has a sniper rifle (and grenades) […]

The Phantom Pain looks nice even when Kojima just takes a quick pic with his phone. Look at that beauty. We get nice reflection in pink at the first gray of dawn.
pic.twitter.com/aERTBoZT9z — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) March 2, 2015 The game doesn’t have a release date yet, which makes us a bit nervous for it […]

Dying Light still has legs – maybe because it’s crammed full of secret things to discover. Ten of those have been highlighted by TerraMantis’ latest YouTube video, including reference to the Underpant Gnomes, guitar lessons, farting zombies and well, we don’t want to spoil it for you. Even if you think you’ve seen everything in […]

Why blind ‘em with science when you could kill ‘em with dance moves? revelations raid When I say Resident Evil: Revelations 2‘s Raid Mode dance gestures are deadly, I’m not being figurative. If you finish the first chapter of Revelations 2 you can unlock Gina for use in Raid Mode. All characters can use gestures […]

“Male Inquisitors can now scale the wall,” says a clever Redditor. A new Dragon Age: Inquisition mod removes Blackwall’s romantic restrictions, allowing male Inquisitors to chat up the fuzzy-faced warrior. Blackwall doesn’t have any race preferences, so you’re good to go there. Dragon Age: Inquisition romance mods are pretty common by now, and to be […]

Destiny players willing to faff about with their system clock can solo the Weekly Nightfall if they prefer. The Weekly Heroic is one of Destiny‘s toughest challenges. Responding to player feedback Bungie implemented matchmaking for the Weekly Heroic, but there are players who genuinely prefer to go it alone. There’s now no legitimate way to […]

A Clayfighter remake is inbound, apparently. Interplay has announced a Clayfighter remaster, combining the content of all past games into one package. Features include: Characters such as Bad Mr. Frosty, Blue Suede Goo, Earthworm Jim, Hoppy, Boogerman, Tiny – and more with over 20 characters total Over 20 familiar environments from the series to duke […]

Dying Light players! Are you sick of picking your way carefully up the sides of tall towers? Have I got a trick for you. The parkour system in Dying Light is okay, but climbing anywhere especially high can be a bit tedious. Enter Jesse Lester, who took a look at the tools available and worked […]

Destiny developer Bungie won’t stop tinkering with Exotic weapons. In Destiny, Exotic weapons are supposed to be the best of the best – and to feel unique. Guns like Ice Breaker and Gjallahorn definitely hit the mark there (although less so when everyone has one), but unfortunately, there are a few that just don’t strike […]

Uncharted 4′s first proper trailer bears some remarkable similarities to the opening moments of a much earlier Naughty Dog game. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has more in common with Crash Bandicoot than you might think. It’s Naughty Dog’s first game on a new console, yes – but if you compare Uncharted 4′s E3 2014 […]

Sonic Team leader Takashi Iizuka has said there are no plans to stop making Sonic games. Sonic hasn’t retired from the ranks just yet. “Please rest assured, I personally have no plans to stop making Sonic games for home consoles,” Iizuka told 4Gamer [Japanese]. The comment arose after the site asked if Sonic would become […]

Stealth Inc. 2: A Game of Clones will soon be available on PlayStation platforms, if a trophy list is to be believed. Stealth Inc. 2 initially launched as a Wii U exclusive, disappointing fans of Curve Studios’ tough action game. We’ve heard nothing to contradict this, but Exophase, a generally reliable source, has dug up […]

Runescape developer Jagex is working on something new. According to Jagex’s careers page, the developer has a new, unannounced game in the works. Its advertisement for a lead programmer makes explicit mention of an “undisclosed MMO”. The ad mentions the new title is in “the preliminary stages of redefining the cross platform MMORPG genre” and […]

Destiny developer Bungie has said it will change the way Crucible rewards work. Destiny players are always complaining about the perfidy of RNGesus, but there’s one area where it particularly hurts: the Crucible. PvP players often receive nothing at all for excellent performances, and sometimes Guardians receive the best drops merely for logging in as […]

Azure Striker Gunvolt is getting a sequel. Azure Striker Gunvolt developer Inti Creates has confirmed that the sidescroller has been popular enough to warrant a second instalment. The sequel will also be released on 3DS, the team said on Facebook. Very little information is available at present, unfortunately. “As time goes on we will have […]

Life is Strange developer Dontnod Entertainment has said the second episode is on track for release this month. I guess it would know. Life is Strange Episode 2 has been expected on March 13, but late last week Square Enix told Destructoid it had been delayed. Dontnod has since denied this report, describing it as […]

Job Simulator is the first game to be announced specifically for SteamVR, Valve’s virtual reality tech. Shoot Many Robots and Aaaaa! For the Awesome! developer Owlchemy Labs is the first team to put its hand up and say it’s worked with SteamVR. In a blog post, the studio unveiled Job Simulator, which will be playable […]

The first SteamVR announce is a headset a manufactured by HTC, the Taiwanese mobile company revealed over the weekend. Valve told us last week it planned to unveil virtual reality hardware at GDC, calling it “SteamVR” at the time. Now HTC has pre-empted Valve by revealing Vive, a headset developed thanks to a collaboration between […]

Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2K and Turtle Rock Studios have announced a tournament being hosted by ESL, which will see Evolve players take on newest movie robot, Chappie. The ESL has teamed up with Twitch for the live 4 on 1 competitive event, and you can watch as it all unfolds tomorrow, March 1 at 3pm […]

We haven’t heard much on Harebrained Schemes’ latest since it was announced in November, but today, the team has seen fit to release some interesting gifs of its a new project, Necropolis. Necropolis is a third-person action rogue-like with procedurally generated which can be “re-rolled mid-playthrough” and is headed to Linux, Mac and PC sometime […]

More Dragon’s Dogma Online screenshots have been released, and this batch is just as lovely as the last gallery we posted. Since this game will likely never leave Japan, the images are a bit of a salt rub for fans of the IP, but hopefully another entry in the series will be released at some […]

How would you like to become an agent of Death and rid the world of immortals? Then Death’s Gambit may just be the game for you. Announced by LA-based studio White Rabbit, the action-RPG with platforming elements tasks players with fighting gigantic enemies on an alien, medieval planet. Players will also encounter formidable beasts, knights, […]

PC users lamenting the lack of local, offline co-op in Resident Evil: Revelations 2 will be pleased to know a modder has remedied the omission. The mod, created by FluffyQuack, adds offline co-op mode to Episode 1 but the only caveat is players will need to use gamepads instead of mouse and keyboard (via Gamespot). […]